Three records are easy to confuse when checking a SAT monthly tax return. The filing acknowledgment confirms receipt of the return. The *línea de captura* states the amount and payment deadline. The bank receipt proves that the bank received the payment.
Build a period index
For each month, keep a one-line index with the return type, filing date, acknowledgment, payment status and any supplementary return. This makes the SAT consultation usable as a control record and helps distinguish a missing document from an obligation that was never filed.
Fiscal year, period, obligation and return type must agree across all three. A March return may have been filed and paid in April, then changed by an amended return months later.
Select the service by document
The acknowledgment reprint and transaction query accept Password or e.firma. SAT states that reprinting requires the return type and filing folio.
Information to collect
- taxpayer RFC;
- Password or valid e.firma;
- fiscal year and filing period;
- obligation, such as ISR, VAT, withholding or IEPS;
- normal or amended return type;
- folio or operation number, when available;
- payment reference and bank receipt when tax was due.
Do not use the payment date as the filing period. A bank payment made in April may settle a March obligation.
Check the filing step by step
- Open the official service that produces the record you need.
- Sign in under the correct RFC.
- Select fiscal year, period, obligation and return type.
- Enter the folio when using the acknowledgment-reprint service.
- Check the RFC, filing date, operation number and tax concept.
- Download the acknowledgment or print the transaction result.
- Open the saved file before ending the session.
- If tax was due, match the acknowledgment to the payment reference and bank receipt.
The transaction query can show the operation number, SAT receipt number, filing date, concept, whether the record is a return or payment, its type, period and fiscal year.
What each record proves
The acknowledgment does not prove payment. SAT lists the payment reference, operation number, payment date, payment key, amount and channel as required bank-receipt data.
Payment references and bank receipts
The *línea de captura* links a filed obligation to the amount due. Depending on the service and bank, it may be paid through the SAT bank link, online banking under the referenced-payment option or an authorized branch.
Pay within the validity period shown in the acknowledgment and the bank's acceptance hours. Do not reuse an expired reference. Return to the applicable filing flow to determine how to generate a current reference and calculate inflation adjustment and surcharges when required.
After payment, compare:
- payment reference;
- amount declared;
- amount paid;
- payment date and operation number;
- payment key;
- charge on the bank statement.
Normal and amended returns
Order all records by date and preserve every acknowledgment. The final amount may come from a later amendment rather than the first normal return.
Record why the filing changed: omitted or canceled CFDI, withholding, collection, deduction, data-entry error or a change in the calculation.
General filing date
The general SAT pages for monthly provisional or final payments by individuals and legal entities state the 17th day of the following month. A federal decree adds business days according to the sixth numeric digit of the RFC:
Other obligations use different dates and periods. Confirm the regime, tax and current service page before setting a deadline.
Reconcile the filing
The SAT query shows what was filed. To test the calculation, compare it with:
- issued CFDI and cancellations;
- received CFDI supporting deductions or input VAT;
- payment complements and collection dates;
- withholding paid or received;
- bank statements and reconciliations;
- ISR, VAT, IEPS and withholding workpapers;
- all normal and amended returns for the period.
Review prefilled data against XML, bank records and accounting support before submitting a correction.
Common problems
A Tax Mailbox notification can start a legal period. Review the complete act, acknowledgment and applicable rule before responding.
Monthly evidence file
The following names are an internal control, not a SAT requirement:
Use the fiscal year, period, obligation and return type in file names. For example: `2026-03-VAT-normal-acknowledgment.pdf`.
When to escalate the review
Request accounting or tax review when:
- a return believed to be filed cannot be found;
- SAT, CFDI and bank amounts differ;
- amended returns have no workpaper;
- a payment reference expired or payment cannot be located;
- the RFC shows obligations outside the registered activity;
- a refund, financing or tender depends on the result;
- a SAT letter, requirement or Tax Mailbox deadline exists;
- several periods are missing.
Do not file an amendment or clarification until the affected obligation, period, changed figure and supporting evidence have been identified.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I check a filed monthly return?
Use acknowledgment reprint when the folio is available. Use the transaction query to review the status and sequence of returns or payments.
Does the acknowledgment prove the tax was paid?
No. It confirms SAT received the return. When tax was due, also verify the payment reference and bank receipt.
Why is a return missing?
Common causes are an incorrect RFC, fiscal year, period, obligation or service. The return may also never have been submitted. A later amendment has its own folio.
Can a monthly return be corrected?
Yes, through the amendment type that applies to the case. Preserve the revised calculation, reason, acknowledgments and any additional payment.
What if a payment is not shown?
Compare the reference, bank receipt, date, amount, payment key and bank statement. Prepare that evidence before a clarification.
See the guide to the SAT tax-compliance opinion for a related omission.
Official sources
- SAT: reprint filed-return acknowledgments.
- SAT: declaration and payment transactions.
- SAT: individual business, professional, rental and VAT returns.
- SAT: provisional or definitive payments for legal entities.
- SAT: federal taxes payable with a payment reference.
- SAT: Tax Mailbox.
Official links to complete the task
Open official services from a new browser tab, confirm the taxpayer and period, and save the resulting acknowledgment or evidence with the case.
